The Wrong Dose
by Yotsubrain
Summary: What if Nino gave Fuutarou another type of medicine? What happens then? Caution: Nino's Medicine. And a sad Raiha...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N. Ever wondered if Nino gave our boy the wrong type of special medicine? What if she managed to make Fuutarou lose himself? Man, who knew teaching quints can be so stressful!**

Fuutarou Uesugi couldn't believe it. He was set to tutor quintuplets, five identical sisters, in their own home. To add to all that, only one of these girls was actually willing to cooperate with him, and she was stupid enough to score a 0 on a 100-point test! He couldn't believe his luck, it seems like he's doomed to a life of misery. [Come on, what is this? Haaah, guess the fivefold pay means five times the hardship.] Fuutarou was contemplating what decisions could have made his life go on this path.

"Come on girls, it's Saturday. Let's go out and have some fun." A girl with butterfly ribbons said.

"Oh no you don't. You girls have to answer this quiz first." Uesugi countered.

"Ho?" Nino looked at him, and decided to offer him some cookies. "Don't you like cookies? If you eat some I'll start studying."

[She sure changed her tone quick.] Fuutarou took the same cookies the girls had been eating the whole time, before Nino got close to his ear.

"So, what kind of deal did you make with Papa?" She looked at him with devilish eyes, as if she was holding evidence to blackmail him. He almost choked on the cookies in response. "To be honest, we don't need a tutor." Everyone looked at them. "Just kidding, here have some water." She offered him a glass, smiling innocently.

"Y-yeah, thanks." [Damn it. I suppose it's only natural that they don't want a tutor. But still, I have to make sure all five of them graduate!]

Nino suddenly stood up, waving her hand. "Bye-bye." A triumphant smile on her face. Then Fuutarou suddenly fell down to the floor. "Hmph, okay then, someone get him home." Suddenly his mouth started foaming.

"Nino, what did you do?" Ichika was panicking.

"Why is his mouth foaming?" Miku lifted his back.

"What's all the noise down there?" Itsuki got down after hearing her sisters' screams.

"What? I just gave him something to help him sleep..." She looked at the vial, reding it carefully. "Uh oh..."

It was morning when the boy woke up inside a hospital room. He looked outside to see overcast weather, nearly about to rain. He scanned his surroundings, he was sitting on a comfortable bed, inside an air-conditioned room, with a complimentary gift basket of fruits and chocolate beside him reading _Get well soon. _He took a nearby hand mirror, and checked his face. There didn't seem to be any injuries, but he did have very large bags under his eyes.

"Oh, I see you're awake." A man dressed as a doctor went inside the rom and took the chair beside him. "Good morning, Fuutarou-kun."

"Oh, um, good morning _Father_." Indeed, the man looked like a grown up version of Fuutarou, complete with eyes that lack of passion.

"Tch. Don't call me Father. That's Dr. Nakano to you." The man had a piercing gaze.

"Sorry, forgive my rudeness." Fuutarou apologized.

"Anyway, I came here to check up on you. You have been sleeping here for a week already. I was afraid we were going to have to cut off life support." Fuutarou looked at the needle in his arm. "I have here your file, and I believe we have narrowed what caused you to be like this."

A knock on the door was heard, and a young girl opened the door. She already noticed Maruo entering earlier, so she was sure the door was unlocked. "Good morning Dr. Nakano, I came here for a visit." Seeing Fuutarou's upright figure, tears formed from her eyes and she nearly tackled her big brother, forgetting to close the door behind her. "Onii-chan! You're awake, I'm so glad you're awake!".

Fuutarou was nearly pushed off the bed, but seeing the young girl's cute face he couldn't have been mad. "Good morning, uh..."

There was a dead silence.

Raiha's eyes lost their shine when she realized her brother couldn't say her name.

Maruo broke the silence. "She's your sister, Fuutarou-kun. Miss Raiha."

"Oh, sorry. Good morning, Raiha." Fuutarou responded, trying to hide his embarassment.

"Onii-chan? What happened?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know. I just woke up."

"Dr. Nakano, what happened?"

"I was scared of this. It seems that he has a case of amnesia, Miss Raiha. I wish for him to stay a bit longer so that we can do some checks."

"When will I get my Onii-chan back? Give him back!" Raiha was pounding the bed, crying her heart out. All the tears of joy had turned to tears of sadness.

"I'm sorry, we'll have him stay for the time being Miss Raiha."

"Quite rude of you to call your daughter _Miss_ Raiha." Fuutarou changed the topic.

"Excuse me?" Maruo had an irritated look on his face.

"What kind of parent are you to call your own daughter _Miss?_" Fuutarou responded. Raiha was still bawling her eyes out. Fuutarou comforted her by rubbing her back.

"I believe you misunderstand me. She is not my daughter." Maruo corrected Fuutarou's misassumption.

"You're not?" Fuutarou was looking at the hand mirror. [Wow, I must have a complicated family.]

"Fuutarou!" Suddenly a man with blond hair burst into the room and dug his fingers into his son's clothes. He started shaking the poor boy, who lost grip of the hand mirror and caused it to fall to the floor. "You bastard! Don't go leaving us like that and worrying us!" Isanari had apparently heard Fuutarou's voice while walking outside.

"As a doctor I would advise that you not shake my patient like that."

"Oh, uh, sorry Fuutarou." Isanari loosened his grip and let his son go. Fuutarou thought [Man, this guy is crazy. Who is he, anyway?]

"Ahem, seeing as you're here, I wish to discuss what happened to Fuutarou-kun."

"Spill it. So what happened to him?" Isanari took a chair and asked. "What happened to you, Fuutarou?"

"Onii-chan has... Onii-chan has..." Raiha couldn't bring herself to say that disgusting word, the word that took her brother away.

"Ahem, Fuutarou-kun has amnesia."

"No damn way. You have got to be kidding me! This is not funny, Maruo!"

"It is the truth, Uesugi."

"No way. You're lying. he's lying, right Fuutarou?" Isanari looked at his son.

"Uhh..." Another silence.

"No way... why?"

"Sorry for the trouble I'm causing." Fuutarou apologized, getting near the edge of the bed to take back the hand mirror. "And sorry, the mirror may have cracked."

"No way, is he awake?" "I heard him." "You should go apologize." "Hmph." "Maybe we should all apologize." He heard a voice talking to itself. Fuutarou looked at the mirror to see half his reflection, with the other half displaying five identical faces in the five pieces of broken glass formed from the cracks. [Cool effect.]

"So you came too huh?" Maruo coldly stated. "Girls, come over here." The quintuplets obliged.

Fuutarou turned around to see five bodies sharing the same face. "Gah? What the hell? You all have the same face!"

The girls were surprised at his reaction. "Huh? What are you talking about? You just saw us last week!" Nino told him.

"Oh, uh, sorry. Forgive me, I didn't mean to be rude." Fuutarou dejectedly bowed his head.

"Papa, what happened to him?" Itsuki went to her father and asked.

"As you can see, he has amnesia. Fuutarou kun has lost his memories. I'm not sure yet how long until he can get his memory back."

"No way..." Nino, realizing the weight of her mistake, fell down to the floor.

Isanari carried Raiha to an unoccupied bed, as she had fallen asleep, tears still stuck to her face, her face as red as a tomato, and her arms displaying the creases of the sheets.

Yotsuba was tearing up. She rushed to his bed and laid herself on top of him. She gripped his shoulders and loudly asked, "Hey, who am I? Do you remember? What's my name?"

"..." Silence. Fuutarou can only smile to hide his embarrassment that a girl was on top of him with only his hospital gown covering himself.

"No. No. No..." Yotsuba's eyes started forming tears as well... "What's your name?"

"Uhh, I guess I'm Fuutarou _Nakano_." He tried to answer her.

"What!?" Ichika interrupted?

"Again, Fuutarou-kun, you misunderstand. I am _not_ your father. That man over there is your father. Your name is Fuutarou Uesugi."

Fuutarou gulped. [But we look so much alike?] "Again, sorry for my rudeness."

"Right, you're Fuutarou Uesugi." Ichika tried to laugh in vain.

"But he is half right..." Maruo started.

"So what's going to happen to my son Maruo?" Isanari cut him off.

"Ahem, as I was saying... I'm here to take responsibility for Fuutarou-kun. I'll take custody of him for the time being?"

"What the hell are you on about?" Isanari started raising his voice.

"I am here to take responsibility for him. Try as you might, you can't provide the care he needs right now. That's why I'll have him live in a place where I can monitor him 24/7. I'm sorry, but this is the best course of action right now. I will make sure you are properly compensated."

"Don't mess with me! You're not taking my son! I don't care about your damn money!" Isanari started shouting.

"Then care about logic. This way I can make sure that Fuutarou-kun gets the treatment he needs. Rest assured I will make the necessary preparations. Or are you going to tell me you can provide for him in this state?" Maruo countered, voice as cold as ice.

"Tch. You better make sure he gets better. Fine, for now I'm going to trust you." Isanari colected himself.

"Thank you. I hope time is on our side. Now, as for what is going to happen, I'll have Fuutarou-kun stay with my daughters for a while."

"Ehhhhhh?!"

**A/N. So that's it then! I always wondered what would have happened if Nino gave Fuutarou the wrong medicine. So yeah, here it is! What do you guys think? Currently I have two options on where to go with this theme, either show other types of medicines *cough aphr*disiacs cough*, or i could continue this story as is. What do you guys think? **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N. If you were wondering why Fuutarou had large bags under his eyes despite sleeping for a week, let's just say that came from the stress of his body from keeping him alive.**

"Fueee!?" One voice, coming from five mouths, filled the room with its screams of confusion.

At this point Yotsuba had detached herself from Fuutarou and sat on bed. She wrapped her hands around his own. The fingers she held were thin and long, and it was slightly cold. He had been in that room the whole time after all, immobile for a whole week. She resolved to warm it up, thinking it was all she could do.

"So, Uesugi-san will be staying with us?" Yotsuba inquired. She met Fuutarou's gaze with hers.

"Yes. I'll perform the necessary checks on him at your apartment. You girls will take care of him in the time being."

"Crap, what time is it?" Isanari looked over at the clock on the wall. It displayed 10:30 a.m. "I'm gonna go now, Maruo. Take care of my son." Isanari started carrying Raiha, her fingers clutching onto his shirt. "Onii-chan..." she whispered. [Raiha, you'll have to go home without him for now.] As much as he wanted to stay, he had to make sure to earn a living.

"I'll make sure to send you updates."

"You better." Isanari brought Raiha with him outside, not bothering to close the door behind him.

"Take care Father." Fuutarou spoke. Isanari was tearing up in the hallway.

"So, he will stay with us?" Ichika asked again.

"Yes. You girls will take care of him." Maruo coldly repeated.

"But isn't he a man?" Miku asked.

"He's also your responsibility." Nino shivered at his words. Maruo looked at each of the sisters. "I know what caused this. It was inside the safe after all." The drug used was experimental, used to relieve stress and remove past trauma. The solution was concentrated, meant to be diluted to a 0.5% solution. "Now, you girls will have to look after him. That's your punishment." Maruo really was killing two birds with one stone.

"What? Why are you punishing them? They didn't do anything wrong. They look like such kind people." Fuutarou at this point was enjoying Yotsuba's warmth. "Besides, I'm sure they won't be comfortable having me around." Fuutarou responded.

"Oh? Are you saying that you will make a move on my daughters?" Maruo met him with a piercing gaze.

"Cer-certainly not!" Fuutarou yanked back his hand. Yotsuba wiped her tears when she could no longer hold his hand.

"Then we are in agreement. Besides, you don't even have a say on this matter." That's right, Fuutarou literally had nothing to say about this. "Do you even remember these girls? Let alone what happened the night you passed out?"

"..." Fuutarou was silent once more.

"That's that then. You will stay with my daughters. Rest assured, you can trust them, and you can trust me, as long as I still trust you. Do not betray my trust."

"Of course." Fuutarou looked at the sisters, who were all silent. Embarrassed, but not wanting to be rude, he said "I hope we'll get along" with a smile.

Raiha woke up just when Isanari was laying her on a futon he had prepared. "Dad? Where's Onii-chan?" Isanari just smiled. "He must be hungry." Isanari kneeled beside her. "I know, I'll make curry udon later." Isanari tried to hold back his tears. "He came back with us right?"

"Raiha, your brother is still in the hospital. He still has to get treatment." Isanari tried to explain.

"But he will come back right? Onii-chan will come back, right?" Raiha started raising her voice.

"Yes, they told us they will send updates." Isanari tried to keep calm.

"When will he come back?" Raiha's voice was getting louder.

"I'm not sure." Isanari grit his teeth.

"Why? Why are you not sure? I'm going to go get him!" Raiha was shouting at this point.

"Raiha, your brother will receive some treatment right now. We can't visit him right now..." Maruo had updated Isanari. A text told Isanari that they will be taking fuutarou's possessions to try to trigger his memory. Isanari texted back {At least tell me the address, bastard}. Maruo hadn't given the adderss on purpose because he was sure that Raiha was going to come over and prevent his checks. He noticed it in the blank eyes of the girl when Fuutarou forgot her name, that she was surely going to interrupt the treatment if she knew where he was and kept clinging onto him.

"No! No! No! Bring him back! Bring him back! Give me my Onii-chan back! Give him back! Please! Give him back. Give me my Onii-chan back... Onii-chan... Come home..." Raiha kept slamming her fists on Isanari's chest. Her voice started getting weaker, and she soon fell asleep. Her sleepless nights of prayer and the stress of the sudden revelation was too much for her to handle, and she fell on Isanari's chest.

Isanari hugged Raiha, and looked up, unable to hide the tears anymore. "First my wife, now my son?! What did I do wrong? Please, do everything you want to me, just spare my daughter. Please..." Isanari laid Raiha on her bed and propped her up on two pillows, covering her with a blanket. He prepared to go to work. "Watch over us from now on..." He looked at a sign that read _Uesugi Bakery_ before heading outside. It had started raining, the overcast weather turning into dark clouds. He took an umbrella and locked the door behind him, leaving Raiha to rest. "Onii-chan..." Raiha hugged Fuutarou's pillow, desperate for warmth.

Fuutarou was led inside the building by the five sisters and Ebata. He was given a walker for the time being and was being led around on a wheelchair, as his legs had slightly atrophied. Fuutarou felt embarassed by everything, only to be reassured by Ebata. "No need to be shy. This is all done out of goodwill from the Master. He said to feel free to be at home. A sense of calm is needed for your recovery."

"Thank you, Ebata-san." Fuutarou accepted the sentiment.

"Speaking of which, he suggested a light meal and a warm bath is best to achieve optimal results." Ebata continued.

"Is that so?" Fuutarou looked over his shoulder, the five sisters were walking side by side, their heads held down. "But do we really have to do this arrangement?"

"Yes, for it is the will of the Master. We are here." Ebata finished.

After being led inside, Fuutarou looked at the apartment. It was a spacious space, the living room alone being twice as big as his hospital room. "Wow."

"Well then, please excuse me." Ebata went for the door.

"Oh, thank you very much" Fuutarou tried to bow, but his wheelchair shook from the movement.

"Careful, Uesugi-san." Yotsuba caught his body.

"Thank you, Miss..." Fuutarou closed his lip.

"Ah, guess we gotta start there huh?" Yotsuba faked a laugh.

"So, when is he getting out?" Nino made sure he heard her words.

"Nino, don't be like that. He's stuck with us for the time being." Itsuki defended Fuutarou.

"It's his problem, not ours. Can't you see he's going to become a nuisance?" Nino was stubborn.

"He's our responsibility. It's the least we could do after what we did to him." Ichika added. After hearing these words, Nino's heart sank.

"True. I don't mean to impose. Maybe I can work something out with Dr. Nakano. Please excuse me." He started heading for the door.

"Stay." Nino grabbed the wheelchair handle. She was putting on an act, her pride forcing her to. But after hearing that he is their responsibility, she swallowed that pride. "We'll take care of you. So please don't leave us."

Fuutarou was shocked at Nino Everyone was. "O-oh. Well then, thank you for having me." He did a successful bow this time, since Nino was supporting him.

"So Fuutarou-kun, let me ask you once more, do you remember us?" Ichika put the conversation back on track.

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I do not." Fuutarou was looking dejected. "Please forgive me."

"That's fine. That's fine." Ichika reassured him. "Let us introduce ourselves then. I'm Ichika Nakano." Fuutarou made a mental note that she had short hair.

Nino tapped his shoulder. "I'm Nino." Fuutarou gazed at her long hair tied by butterfly ribbons.

"You can call me Miku." Fuutarou notices her bangs and headphones.

"I'm Yotsuba!" Yotsuba smiled as if she had regained her energy. Fuutarou took note of her green ribbon.

"And I'm Itsuki." Fuutarou looked at twin star clips and a defining ahoge sticking out from her hair.

"Nice to meet you all everyone. I hope you will treat me well." Fuutarou mustered a smile.

"Anyway, do you want to eat?" Nino proposed.

His stomach grumbled at the thought of food. "Ahaha, yeah, I guess I could eat."

"Sit tight, I'll make some porridge."

"Thank you, Nino-san."

"Drop the honorifics when you're around us. It's more comfortable for us that way." Ichika insisted, everyone else nodded.

"Sure, Ichika-sa... Ichika." He smiled.

As Nino was preparing the food, Itsuki started looking at her books to distract herself. Then she remembered something. "Hey, girls, what about his studies?" Everyone gulped.

"Now that you mention it, he may have trouble with that." Ichika wondered.

"Hey, Uesugi-san, what's two times two?" Yotsuba quickly asked.

"It's four, Yotsuba."

"Wow, so quick!" Yotsuba was amazed.

"That's not a very good question, Yotsuba. Fuutarou, how do you solve this problem?" Miku took Itsuki's textbook and pointed to a random problem.

"I think you're supposed to split the vectors first. You can do it like this." Fuutarou started rearranging seven lines into three. "And you can use this formula."

"Amazing." Itsuki had her mouth open. "Even in this state he's still smarter than us."

"Hahaha, are you still going to teach us, Fuutarou-kun?" Ichika teased.

"If it is within my capabilities, I'll gladly do it!" He smiled, as if he had gotten an idea of who his past self used to be: their tutor.

"Come on, he just got out of the hospital. Spare him the problems for now. Here, eat up." Fuutarou was given a bowl of porridge. Each grain of rice was giving off a perfect shine, topped by an egg cooked by the heat. The addition of spring onions served to add to the appeal. It was perfectly seasoned, with hints of black pepper.

"Thank you for the food." He took a bite. The rice was perfectly soft, and the egg served to provide a salty flavor balanced by the black pepper. "Wow, it's really good!"

"Get used to it, you'll be eating a lot more to get your strength back." Nino told him, triumphant at another success.

"Hey, what are we going to do for lunch?" Itsuki asked.

"Don't worry. It's already cooking. Just keep eating, Uesugi, you'll eat a real lunch later. For now just finish that."

The afternoon was pretty hectic. Some men came inside the apartment's empty room, telling the sisters that Uesugi's stuff was being brought there to help him remember. They came just after lunch, and finished around 4:00 p.m. Fuutarou was helping the girls study for the time being. The knowledge his past self failed to give to the sisters was being readily accepted now.

"I can't take it anymore!" Except the girls weren't used to long study sessions. Ichika was the first one to break, after all she had wanted to sleep the whole time.

"I guess we can stop here for today. good job, everyone." Itsuki, surrendering as well, told her sisters.

"Thank you for today." Miku looked at Fuutarou.

"No problem. Thank you as well." Miku blushed at Fuutarou's words.

"Hey, Uesugi-san. Do you want to have a bath? It's one of the recommended treatments right?" Yotsuba interrupted.

"I guess I could use one. Thank you for the offer, Yotsuba." Fuutarou wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling grimy after an intense session like that.

"Feel free to take one right now. It's kinda cold, and you're only wearing a T-shirt." Fuutarou's clothes were the last to be delivered, and they were soggy from the rain. "It hasn't stopped raining the whole day too."

As Fuutarou went inside the bathtub, a solemn voice called out to him. "Hey, I want to talk to you."

Inside the Uesugi household, Raiha was sitting under the kotatsu. An envelope was on it, labelled _In return for Uesugi and his possessions_. Inside was a wad of 10000 yen bills, at least an inch thick. As Isanari opened the door, Raiha looked at him with blank, yet piercing eyes.

"You sold Onii-chan?!"

**A/N. At this point I don't know whether to give Fuuts back his memories or not. I'm writing this story as I go, but I hope to deliver a solid resolution to his problems. Who knows, romance might even develop from here. Bear in mind though that some story events are going to happen very differently. Tell me if you guys think Fuuts should recover his memories, and which quint deserves to be happiest. If you have other suggestions, feel free to leave them, I'll gladly accept them.**

**Also, sorry if Nino's tsun phase was too short. Some people had wondered if this was a Nino bash. It isn't. At least I hope it's not.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N. Let me know if you guys want more handholding. And yes, Yotsuba didn't get pregnant.**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Fuutarou was about to enjoy the warm bath prepared by Yotsuba. The bathroom was as big as his hospital room, with marble floors and handcrafted statuettes. The bath was separated from the rest of the room by tall glass doors, which were still too heavy for his weak body. Yotsuba assisted him inside, bringing his walker into the bath and leaving his wheelchair outside.

He was thinking about what happened just before he went into the bath.

"Okay, just leave your clothes in that basket over there. I'll take your clothes out of the dryer and leave them here outside. Oh, and you can use my shampoo, it's the orange one. You do know what orange is right?"

Fuutarou nodded. "Yeah, it's the color of your the marigolds by the window you were taking care of."

Yotsuba was surprised, "Wow, you knew those were marigolds? How come?" Yotsuba started unbuttoning his shirt. At this point Yotsuba's maternal insticts were in overdrive.

"I don't really know myself. I guess the old me liked flowers. Oh, I can take care of that." Fuutarou pulled his clothes from Yotsuba's hands. She was getting close to the danger zone.

Upon hearing Fuutarou, Yotsuba held onto his hands once again. She tried to wrap them in his, but they were bigger than she thought. His hands still felt cold, so she walked closer to him and pulled his hands toward her chest to share her warmth.

"Uhm, Yotsuba?" She was practically leaning on his chest. Fuutarou noted her fragrance was fruity.

"Yep, you're still cold, aren't you? Make sure to warm yourself up okay?" She released his hand and stepped back. Her face lost its smile for a moment, but she recomposed herself. [Right, he's the _new_ Fuutarou-kun...] "I'll leave your clothes here, okay? So make sure to enjoy a nice, long soak. After that we can trim your fingernails."

_Coconut_,_ Cheesecake_,_ Cucumber_,_ Mandarin_,_ Peach_, and _Vanilla_. Six bottles laid beside the bath. Fuutarou used the _Mandarin_ one to wash his hair and the _Vanilla_ soap for the rest of his body. He was finished thinking about Yotsuba and had been looking at his thin hand. [She's so caring.] He was smiling, like a boy being spoiled by his mother. He noticed that the bathwater was green, as if tea leaves had been steeped in it. As he was going in, he heard one of the sisters.

"Hey, I want to talk to you." A figure was standing outside the glass doors, checking if it was locked.

"..." Fuutarou was silent. He was shocked that someone was outside, and quickly descended down the tub. The bathwater made a loud splash as he hid himself.

The girl, hearing the splash, opened the door. "Fuu-kun, I'm going in." A girl with long hair went inside, slowly approaching him.

Fuutarou panicked. He was naked, and a girl just casually entered while he was taking a bath. [Why is she here?] Fuutarou couldn't recognize her, as her hair lacked the accessories he used for identification. Moreover, no one has called him Fuu-kun yet.

"Alright, admit it." She stepped near him, so he repositioned his hands to cover what matters. "I know what you're doing."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't planning to drink the bathwater! And I only used Yotsuba's shampoo!" Fuutarou defended himself.

"Don't act dumb. Just admit it." She was persistent, and placed one of her hands on his shoulder.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Fuutarou was shaking as he faced her.

"Just admit that you haven't lost your memories! Tell me you remember everything!" She raised her voice while lifting him up.

Fuutarou started crying. Tears flowed from his eyes. He was like a child who got lost, desperate to find someone he knows, only to be met with unfamiliar faces. "I'm sorry. I really can't remember!" He lowered his hands to his sides, forming them into fists. The force he used was enough to cause his palms to bleed. He was shaking all over. "I hate myself for it! I'm causing so much trouble because I can't recognize anyone! I hate it! Seeing everyone's hurt faces, and them trying to hide the fact that they're hurt! Why can't I remember anything? If I did no one would be sad, no one would cry anymore! I hate myself for making everyone try so hard for me, I don't deserve it! Yotsuba and Nino, they're trying so hard for me! And I couldn't even remember their name in that hospital room! My little sister, my father, they were crying. Raiha cried so hard she fell asleep! How can I do that to her? I'm supposed to be her brother, yet I made her cry like that!"

The girl was shocked. She let him down into the tub for another soak. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about that. I made a mistake, and you're the one paying for it." She went to grab a hand towel. "I'm sorry Fuu-kun. Please forgive me." She kneeled beside him, and gently took his hand. She gently spread it open, and noticed the blood. His fingernails were stained with blood, and his palms were as red as her hair. "I promise I'll make it up to you." After cleaning his other hand, she went to the sink to wash the bloody cloth.

"I'm sorry about that." Fuutarou had calmed down by now. "I shouldn't be like that to you. You're one of them, right?"

A chill ran down the girl's spine. She accidentally dropped the cloth she was washing. "Yes. I hope your opinion of them doesn't worsen because of me." She picked up the cloth and went to his side to grab some soap.

"Are you kidding?" Fuutarou's response made the girl frown. "You girls are doing everything to help me. Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki, you all are my angels. When I saw my sister crying I felt that I wasn't welcome in this world. I wanted to stop her crying, but I couldn't. My father was holding back. He became so distant when he learned that I wasn't who he was expecting. I thought when you protested that I couldn't stay with you that I had nowhere to go. But you welcomed me regardless. When we were eating lunch, I felt that I could talk to you. You guys didn't alienate me. You treated me to delicious food, and you let me help you guys so I wouldn't feel that I was taking advantage of you."

"But I scared you..." The girl couldn't believe what she was hearing. She started to stand up.

"That was a misunderstanding. But I forgive you, _Nino_." Fuutarou managed to stand up as well, and placed his hands on hers.

"How did you?" Nino was surprised at the sudden movement.

"The soap. I recognized the scent, and you used it to clean the cloth too." Fuutarou was trying to balance himself, still not used to standing up on his own. Nino sat him back down.

"Fuu-kun, please cover yourself." Nino's face was as red as a tomato. "I'll excuse myself then." Nino went out and closed the door behind her. Fuutarou kept blocking himself in embarassment. As Nino exited, Ichika, Miku and Itsuki were standing in the hallway. They stared coldly at Nino.

"Alright Nino, what happened?" Ichika broke the ice.

"I made another mistake. I threatened him. I thought he was faking it." Nino answered while bowing her head.

"Nino, how could you? We're supposed to take care of him." Miku quickly responded.

"I know. That's why, from now on, I promise to take care of Fuu-kun." Nino resolved herself.

"You're lucky Yotsuba didn't hear you." Itsuki added.

"Where is she?"

"She's upstairs in Uesugi-kun's room. She was folding his laundry, but when I checked on her she was on the ground, holding Uesugi-kun's boxers. I tried to wake her up, but she only mumbled".

"What did she say?" Ichika was curious.

Itsuki blushed. "S-so big..." Her face lit up from the embarrassment. Nino blushed as well.

"Excuse me." Yotsuba walked past her sisters into the bathroom. The four only stared at her back as she went inside.

On the other side of the room, Fuutarou was done. He managed to carry himself in front of the door, but couldn't manage to open it.

"Uesugi-san, here are your clothes." Yotsuba picked out a comfortable sweatshirt and pajamas for him to sleep in, as well as a pair of boxers.

Hearing her voice, Fuutarou started. "Oh Yotsuba, good timing. Can you open the door..."

"Sure thing!" With one motion, the door slid fully open.

"...when I tell you to." Fuutarou was standing in front of her now, naked as the day he was born.

Yotsuba's smile turned into an open mouth. "Fueeee?!"

Truly, two sisters had lost their innocence that night.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Meanwhile, inside the Uesugi residence, Raiha was staring daggers into Isanari.

"You sold Onii-chan?" She threw the envelope at Isanari's feet. "How could you?"

"What?" He picked up the envelope, seeing the words and its contents. "No Raiha! I didn't sell your brother!"

"What the hell is that then?" Isanari was taken aback. It was the first time Raiha used such language. "It says its for him and his belongings!"

"Raiha, do you really think I would sell your brother?" Isanari tried to cool his daughter.

"Why is he not here then? Why can't I visit him? Give him back!"

"Raiha, your brother was taken to a special place where he can recover. It hurts me too, but this is all we can do for him right now."

"Liar! Onii-chan wouldn't go anywhere but home!"

"I'm sorry Raiha, but he needs to be treated there. We'll be able to visit him soon."

"I want to see him now! Please!"

"I'm sorry Raiha. All we can do is wait." Isanari set down his things to hug his daughter. His phone flashed {Update on Fuutarou Uesugi}.

The next morning, the Nakano household's breakfast was interrupted by someone knocking on the door.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**A/N. I know I kinda rushed Nino's development here, but I didn't want this fic to be called a Nino bash. Besides, if I made her hate Fuutarou just like she did before, I'd basically be re-adapting her development from the manga. I want this fic to be able to stand as its own story, not just be callbacks to the manga it took inspiration from.**


	4. Chapter 4

**So I wanted to put in a segment similar to Let's Have Some Fun, that's another story I recently posted, just to give Miku some love this chapter. However I couldn't find the proper setting, so I decided to make it separate instead. Anyway, hope you enjoy the story.**

Breakfast was simple, yet elegant. Nino had prepared eggs benedict, with ketchup on the side. There were also some bacon, and leftover bread turned into french toast. All of these were served with Ichika's cold brew and Yotsuba's mint tea. Fuutarou was told to try a little bit of everything. This was Nino's way of finding out what his likes and dislikes were, after all.

"Wow. What a feast! Thank you Nino!" Fuutarou gratefully thanked Nino as he held a fork.

"It's nothing. Make sure to eat and get your strength up, okay?" Nino replied while taking one of the eggs benedicts for herself.

"Oh, and try out the tea I made when you're done." Yotsuba insisted. Fuutarou wafted her tea and seemed delighted by the aroma. "It'll help you recover faster."

"Really? Thank you Yotsuba!" Fuutarou seemed delighted at the prospect. By now he only needed to rely on the walker to move around.

"By the way, did you enjoy the bath last night? It's supposed to help ease your muscles so that you can walk again." Yotsuba bit into her french toast.

"... Uhmm, really? Yeah, I did. Thank you for that." Fuutarou stopped putting food into his mouth, remembering last night.

"If you'd like, you can take one again later." Yotsuba suggested.

"Oh, don't trouble yourself. I think I'll be able to walk properly soon." Fuutarou tried to dodge, trying to aviod another incident, ehm, incidents.

"No can do, Fuu-kun. It's to help you recover." Nino winked at him.

Fuutarou could only gulp at her response. [What are these girls thinking? Don't they remember last night?] "Okay, thank you for the offer."

"Well, we can talk about that later." Ichika tried to change the topic.

Suddenly, they heard knocking.

"Who could that be?" Ichika wondered as she stood up.

"That must be for Fuutarou. They did say they might come back if they find more of his stuff. Still, they could have done so after breakfast." Miku guessed. When Ichika opened the door, all mouths were agape as to how true Miku's words were. A girl in uniform was standing outside the door.

"Raiha?" Fuutarou immediately uttered her name.

"Good morning Ichika-san!" Raiha smiled.

"Good morning Raiha-chan." Ichika greeted her back.

"Sorry for interrupting your morning, but I heard Onii-chan was here." It was the first time Raiha had seen the quints ever since the day Fuutarou got hospitalised.

"Uhm, oh yeah. Please come in first. We were just eating breakfast, you can join us if you want." Ichika could see through Raiha's smile, so she tried to control the situation.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I came to get Onii-chan back." Raiha said with a smile.

"Huh?" Ichika was shocked.

"I just came to get Onii-chan back." Raiha repeated. She then went past Ichika, heading straight for Fuutarou.

"Good morning Raiha. It's nice to see you." Fuutarou tried to talk to his sister.

"Finish up, Onii-chan. Let's go home." Raiha started pulling Fuutarou's arm.

"You must be hungry Raiha-chan. Why don't you eat some breakfast first while you and your brother catch up?" Yotsuba suggested.

"Thank you for the offer, Yotsuba-san, but it's alright." Raiha insisted.

"Now, now, Raiha, it's not nice to refuse an offer." Fuutarou lectured her, looking at his sister in the eyes.

"But-" Raiha started.

"It's fine, isn't it? I doubt we can finish all of these. And it would be a waste if such delicious food wasn't eaten." Fuutarou cut her off.

"Fine." Raiha surrendered. She sat on Fuutarou's lap. He was surprised, but he didn't mind. Fuutarou noticed how light she was, and felt her softness.

"Here, say ahh." Fuutarou tried to feed Raiha, but was met with a pout.

"I can eat by myself." Raiha still ate the food from the spoon Fuutarou was holding. "Delicious!" Raiha's smile turned into a genuine one from the taste, and her overall expression mellowed out.

"Isn't it?" Fuutarou added, and was surprised when Raiha opened her mouth for more. Fuutarou could only oblige.

"Ara, ara. Now I'm not sure who is the patient here." Ichika commented. Everyone marveled at how adorable the brother and sister were.

As if on cue, another person entered through the door. "Good morning girls. I am here to check up on Fuutarou-kun."

"Papa?" Nino was surprised at the sudden entry.

"Oh, and I see Miss Raiha is here as well." Maruo was displeased, knowing Isanari must have talked. Maruo had asked Isanari to not visit until next week, not until he can ease Fuutarou back into his former life.

"Good morning, Dr. Nakano." Raiha had finished eating an eggs benedict and a piece of french toast. She tried to drink from the coffee but couldn't handle the flavor, so Yotsuba went to get her some orange juice.

"Might I ask why you are here?"

"I'm here to take Onii-chan home."

"Home, you say? What makes you say you can take him home?"

"What do you mean? This is not his home, he should be with us." Raiha questioned the doctor.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I cannot let do that right now."

"What do you mean?" Raiha was feeling threatened by the man. She went down to the floor, and held Fuutarou's arm.

"He still needs his treatment. I am here to do that in fact." Maruo coldly stated.

"He needs to get home. He'll remember when he comes home. That's all the treatment he needs. I'll help him remember!"

"What makes you think you can get him home?" Maruo confidently questioned the girl.

"Why, are you going to stop me? Thanks for the food, everyone, but we'll be going. Come on, Onii-chan." Raiha pulled on his arm. Fuutarou, surprised from the sudden movement, fell down to the floor, accidentally taking Raiha with him. "Huh? Onii-chan, are you okay?" Raiha tried to help him up.

"I'm okay, Raiha. It's just that I still can't walk so well right now." Fuutarou reassured his sister.

"Are you going to take him home in that condition?" Maruo asked.

"We'll manage." Raiha was frustrated at the circumstances.

"No, no you won't. Miss Raiha, he is currently under my care. You will have to wait until further notice."

"No, no, no, no, no! This is not happening! I'll take care of Onii-chan, I'll treat him myself! I'll get him home no matter what!" Raiha started crying.

"Raiha..." Fuutarou started to hug her, as if to tell her that he's right there.

"Onii-chan, you'll come home, won't you?"

"There, there Raiha, stop crying. I don't want to see you cry. I want to see you smile." Fuutarou comforted his sister.

"Miss Raiha, please let him undergo my treatment. Or are you fine with losing your brother?" Maruo asked Raiha.

Raiha's heart sank. Her eyes lost their shine, and tears flowed down her cheeks. "Losing Onii-chan?" Fuutarou hugged his sister tighter.

"So for now, I'm afraid he'll have to stay here. I can assure you that my daughters will take care of him properly." Maruo continued.

"That's so unfair. Dad, he's still her brother." Yotsuba stood up and slammed the table.

"Sorry Yotsuba-kun. This is the best thing to do for now."

"How about we let her visit?" Itsuki suggested.

"Yeah, at least let her visit. She won't be a bother." Ichika supported the idea.

"That's an acceptable compromise, isn't it?" Miku added.

"That's true. Papa, we can't let Fuu-kun be detached from his sister, and we can't let Raiha-chan just abandon her brother." Nino finished.

Raiha was crying, and Fuutarou was wiping her tears. "I. Can. Visit?" In between sobs she managed to ask.

"Sorry Raiha-chan, but this is currently the best place for Fuutarou-kun to stay at. But please feel free to visit, we'll gladly have you." Ichika showed a smile on her face.

Maruo, defeated, accepted the proposal. "I will accept that. Now, Fuutarou-kun, will you come with me? It's time for me to run some tests."

"Alright, Dr. Nakano." Fuutarou released Raiha, and Yotsuba helped him stand up. "Come whenever you like. I'll always be here."

"You won't leave?" Raiha wiped her tears. "Onii-chan, I can see you anytime?"

"Yeah. That's fine isn't it?" All the girls nodded in agreement. Yotsuba helped him get into his room. "Be sure to do your best in school until then, okay?" The room then closed.

Fuutarou was advised to get another day's rest before he's allowed to go to school. Everyone went to school for the time being, and he was left alone during the day. Nino had prepared lunch for him just before they went out, leaving it on the table beside his bed.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

That afternoon, Raiha came to visit again, no longer showing any signs of despair. She passed the time trying to tell Fuutarou what his favorites were, and what he used to do at home. She decided to spare him of their debt problem right now. When the quints arrived, she was offered some snacks and asked about Fuutarou. Despite wanting to stay longer, Raiha left when it was time to prepare dinner.

"Raiha-chan sure is adorable, isn't she?" Yotsuba told everyone as dinner started. Nino had prepared hamburg steak with a side of pickled vegetables that night.

"Yeah Fuutarou-kun. Make sure you never make her cry again." Ichika teased as she started eating.

"Yeah. I hope not." Fuutarou frowned a little.

"Don't worry Fuu-kun. She can visit whenever she wants now, so she should no longer feel lonely." Nino tried to cheer him up.

"Yeah, that's true." Fuutarou took a bite. "This is delicious!"

"Yeah, so make sure to eat up! I made extra." Nino replied while eating her own.

"That reminds me, thank you for the lunch. It was delicious as well." Fuutarou's noticed the lunch beside his bed when he woke up, a meal consisting of rice, octopus sausage, and egg rolls.

"That wasn't much. Glad you enjoyed it." Nino's smile was visible on her face.

"No flirting at the table please." Miku interrupted.

"We-we're not flirting!" Nino pouted. Ichika chuckled at Nino's reaction.

"Anyway, Fuutarou-kun, I hope you don't mind, but we'll take our bath first before you." Ichika changed the subject.

"It's no problem at all. I don't mind waiting." Fuutarou replied.

"Oh, is that so? Why? Are you planning to enjoy the bathwater five sisters bathed in?" Ichika teased.

"It's not like that." Fuutarou blushed. "I just thought it might be better so you don't have to wait for me."

"Really? We won't drain the bathwater just in case." Ichika continued her teasing.

Yotsuba was blushing. "No can do Ichika! I have to prepare his bathwater you know?", she insisted.

"Aw, it won't be fun if he's only covered with your fluids." Ichika let slip one last remark.

"It's not like that Uesugi-san! It's not like I want you to soak in my fluids, okay? This is for your treatment. Treatment, okay?"

"Right. In any case, you girls can go in first." Fuutarou ended the conversation.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

After exiting the bath and changing into his clothes, Fuutarou noticed Yotsuba sitting on the couch. He decided to fix her ribbon, since she had put it on rather hastily.

"Wha-what are you doing?! Uesugi-san?" She looked behind her, noticing the boy trying to fiddle with her ribbon.

"Sorry, Yotsuba. It looked like it was about to fall off, so I wanted to fix it." Fuutarou told her, still trying to fix the ribbon in vain.

"You can't do that!" Yotsuba pushed his hands away. "I'm gonna get pregnant you know?"

"Ehhh?" Fuutarou was surprised at her claim.

After fixing her ribbon, Yotsuba changed the topic. "Well, that's enough about that. Did you enjoy your bath?"

"Yeah, I felt so refreshed. Thank you for preparing it for me." Fuutarou sat next to her.

"Yeah. How about we go in together next time?" Yotsuba didn't realize what she was saying until she fully said it.

"Uhhh, isn't that a bit too much? I know you already saw me naked, but I don't think I can handle the same..." Fuutarou's face lit up.

"Forget about that! Hahahaha! I was just joking you know?" Yotsuba could feel her cheeks heating up.

"Oh, uh sure." Fuutarou accepted the statement.

"Anyway, Uesugi-san, I wanted to show you something." She pulled an album under the coffee table. "Do you recognize her?"

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**A/N. Does Yotsuba seem too smart now? I just figured that since she cares for plants she would at least know some of their properties.**

**Sad to say but updates might slow down, I won't have much time on the computer as I would like. And I don't think I can write a healthy story with the stressful days coming up.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N. Hey, I'm back to this series from trying out other stories. I just wanted to release some ideas I had before I continued this. Feel free to read them and write a review. (Caution, there's a lemon in there. Not NTR, but its plot has a focus on cheating. And yes, I differentiate NTR from cheating. I like a sense of realism, and I can't/don't want to write a story with NTR, so it's about cheating instead.) Anyway, please enjoy the story.**

Yotsuba pulled out an album under the coffee table. It was small and looked cheap. In one motion, Yotsuba flipped the page to a picture displaying a young girl. She had flowing red hair, wore a white dress, and had a big smile on her face.

Fuutarou thought long and hard. Her face seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't figure it out. "Hmmm..." He looked closer at the picture, trying from different angles. "Haaah... I'm sorry, I just can't seem to remember."

"That's alright Uesugi-san." Yotsuba showed him a smile.

"She seems familiar though. I feel like I've seen her before. Is she Raiha's friend or something?"

"I wouldn't know, Uesugi-san. That's up to you to figure out." Yotsuba closed the album and stood up. "Let's get you to bed, shall we? You'll start school tomorrow, so you need to get some rest."

"Good point." Yotsuba assisted him up the stairs, but he went to his room on his own. "Good night, Yotsuba."

"Good night, Uesugi-san!" [Get some rest, Fuutarou-kun. We... I miss you...].

Fuutarou slept soundly. At first he was nervous about going to school, only staring at the ceiling for a good five minutes. When he sat up and turned on the lamp beside him, he saw a mug that was labelled _Drink if you can't sleep _filled with milk. He promptly chugged the glass down, his insides filling with a sweet, viscous, and calming liquid. He knew why it was sweeter and thicker than usual, since he recognized the honey from the french toast they ate earlier. Five minutes of calm passed, and by then he promptly fell to sleep.

Yotsuba on the other hand was quite restless. Lots of thoughts were racing in her mind. [Why did I say that? Now he'll think I'm weird! It's not like I wanted to see it again...] Yotsuba's eyes focused on the picture frame on top of her desk. [Fuutarou-kun... Will you still remember?] A single tear rolled down Yotsuba's cheek as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

Fuutarou was driven to school with the Nakanos along with Ebata. Itsuki guided him to their room, where he was noticed by everyone. Before they got the chance to talk to him, however, the teacher started the lesson. Once lunchtime started, Itsuki led him to the cafeteria, where she paid for his food of a tempura and karaage set. He sat along with the rest of the Nakano sisters, and chatted while eating.

"So, how's your first day so far?" Ichika asked Fuutarou, who sat across her. She bit down on a dorayaki, preferring a quick lunch for more sleep.

"It's going fine, I think. No one seems concerned about me being absent for more than a week, so I'll leave it at that." Fuutarou started eating one of the tempura as he lifted his bowl of rice.

"I don't think it's like that, Uesugi-san, they probably just didn't have the chance to talk with you yet." Yotsuba sat beside him, and split some of her pickled vegetables with him.

"The teacher came in right after we entered the room, and he didn't get to enjoy any breaks after they gave him the material he missed. Plus, I might have dragged him here in a hurry." Itsuki sat on his other side, and was flustered so she started on a meatbun.

"Whatever it is, at least no one's bothered him. It would be troublesome if they asked questions and he had no idea what to answer." Nino surveyed her surroundings while drinking a canned coffee.

"Don't worry. Fuutarou doesn't have any friends. The most they would probably ask him is the answers to the problem sets." Miku opened a can of soda, and began drinking,

"Is that so?" Fuutarou looked dejected. He started on his rice before suggesting something. "By the way, I got the problems sets for last week. I figure we can use them to study later." He wanted to change the topic to avoid being called friendless again.

"Is that so? Maybe we can go for some textbooks as well later." Itsuki seemed interested at the prospect of studying. She didn't want to get in the way of Fuutarou's efforts this time around.

"I don't think I have money for textbooks..." Fuutarou remembered he hasn't handled any money ever since waking up in the hospital room.

"That's okay, I can buy them. We need them anyway, so this is a good chance to get them." Yotsuba reassured him, pointing at the vegetables he hasn't touched yet.

"Really, that's great then. Sorry for bothering you like this." Fuutarou noticed Yotsuba's gestures and started on the vegetables.

"Don't worry about it. Just make sure you teach everyone as payment." Yotsuba flashed him a smile as she started on her vegetables too.

* * *

After classes, Itsuki was about to lead Fuutarou outside before he was swarmed by his classmates.

"What happened to you, Uesugi? You were absent for a week!"

"And now you're all chummy with the transfer student."

"I think I saw you getting out of the same car as them too."

"Really? What's up with that?"

"Hey, tell us, tell us! Is she your girlfriend or something?"

"Wait, so you guys actually live together? Don't tell me you were gone because you moved out or something."

Fuutarou was swarmed with questions asked by people he did not recognize. He didn't know how to answer and looked down at his feet instead.

Itsuki cut through the crowd and grabbed Fuutarou. "Sorry about that. Uesugi-kun was sick. We just gave him a ride this morning because he's getting treatment from my father." She gestured for him to grab his bag.

"Oh really? What happened to you man?"

"Sorry, but only my father knows. He asked not to put Uesugi-kun under stress though, so I would appreciate it if you guys just calmly asked him instead of mobbing together like this."

"Huh? Oh yeah. This situation's kinda scary if you think about it."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"Our bad Uesugi, we were just curious. Classes were so demanding this was the only time we could talk."

"Don't worry about it. We have to go soon, though, we have an appointment to go to after school. I don't want to keep her waiting." Fuutarou and Itsuki grabbed their bags and cut through the crowd to head outside. "See you guys tomorrow."

* * *

Ebata wasn't available, so they were forced to walk. Ichika, Nino, and Miku had already gone ahead, leaving Fuutarou with Itsuki and Yotsuba to go out shopping. Yotsuba had been waiting outside, constantly texting Itsuki because she wanted Fuutarou to have a long time to select the books he wanted. When Fuutarou and Itsuki met up with her, they immediately went to the train station to get to the city center.

"Hey, Uesugi-san, what kind of books do you want to buy?" Yotsuba asked Fuutarou as they went inside a train.

"Hmm, something light I guess. I can't carry a lot of books right now, the handouts they sent me are heavy." Fuutarou eyed the inside. He was guided by Itsuki since he wasn't familiar with trains.

"That won't do. We need a lot of study material you know?" Itsuki sat beside him, her long hair tickling his side. "Don't worry about the costs or carrying them, we'll help you. Besides, it's the first time I see Yotsuba buying books."

"I buy them too you know?" Yotsuba tried to save herself from being embarrassed. She held Fuutarou's hand and eyed him. "Ehehe, does manga count?"

"What's manga?" Fuutarou was genuinely curious, ignoring Yotsuba's grip.

"What? You don't know what a manga is? I thought you remembered everything you've read?" Itsuki changed the topic, not wanting to argue about Yotsuba's choice of literature.

"I guess I never read them before." Fuutarou faced Itsuki and held the back of his head in embarrassment. "What are they?"

"It's like a story, but with drawings!" Yotsuba spoke up, eager to start a discussion.

"So like a children's book? I see..." Fuutarou analyzed Yotsuba's face, which had no sense of shame from her earlier statement.

"No. It goes much deeper than that! The art and dialogue work together to tell a story!" Yotsuba was embarrassed, since Fuutarou kept looking at her like she was a child.

"That's true. In manga the art is also important, it helps the reader form ideas that you just can't get from dialogue. What's more fun, looking at a picture and finding the hidden details the artist left behind, or reading a long passage just to know that a room has a blue curtain?" Itsuki joined the conversation, remembering that a new volume of her favorite manga just released.

"I guess that's true. So, what kinds of stories are in manga?" Fuutarou wanted to learn more. His other hand went to his chin in intrigue.

"Lots! There's romance, action, mystery, slice of life, isekai, and whatever combinations you can think of!" Yotsuba finally released his hand, holding up her fists close to her chest.

"Isekai? As in different world?" Fuutarou wanted to know the genre. He knew of fantasy stories before, but he never compared his world to those.

"Yeah. Kind of like being in an unfamiliar place, and moving on from the sudden change in your surroundings. The protagonists basically do whatever they can to adjust, and by the end of the story they usually succeed and end up happy." Itsuki suddenly let out her knowledge. She was wearing glasses before she realized.

Fuutarou can relate. He felt that he met the conditions, save for the happy ending. "Do they return to their worlds?"

"That depends on the writer. Sometimes they do, but usually they're stuck there, so they do their best to adjust. Why do you seem so interested in isekai? Other people hate on it you know?" Itsuki wondered, preparing her bag.

"Is that so? I was just curious, since I've never read stories like that before."

"You can read my manga later. Come on, we're here." Yotsuba ended the conversation.

As the three went inside the store, Fuutarou immediately took note of the many types of books available, from test booklets to review materials, nonfiction and fiction, even a manga section. Yotsuba immediately grabbed onto him and led him to the textbooks.

"Just pick out what you want, Uesugi-san. Don't worry about anything else, I'll pay and help you carry them as well." Yotsuba pointed to the textbooks.

"Then, thank you for the offer." Fuutarou remembered all the relevant materials he wanted to learn and teach them, so he bent down and picked out five textbooks in Math, English, History, Japanese, and Science. The textbooks were small, but together they were heavy. He needed to put them in a basket.

"That's a lot huh?" Yotsuba questioned him, afraid of the five textbooks he so casually picked up.

"I think these are enough for all of us. Is that okay with you?" Fuutarou stood up, trying to carry the books in vain.

"Yep. And as a reward, I'll let you buy a manga for your troubles!" Fuutarou had no chance to reply, as Yotsuba had already dragged him into the manga section while carrying all the books with one arm. "Just pick one okay? We don't want you getting addicted. Don't worry, it's still on me."

"Really? Thank you then." He eyed the shelf, unsure what to pick.

"I'll buy my own book also, so stay with Itsuki okay?" Yotsuba headed for another aisle.

Fuutarou looked beside him to find Itsuki picking out a book. "Itsuki, you were here?"

"Uesugi-kun? Yeah, I also went to buy a manga." She hid the manga behind her, and all Fuutarou could make out was _Food_, and the cover seemed to have chefs and food on it. "Go ahead, pick one you like."

Fuutarou scanned the shelves again, finally picking an interesting one. It had the word _Learn_ in its title, and when he read the summary he saw it was about a tutor and his genius students. "Hmmm, this one then?" It felt like an oxymoron, which fueled his curiosity more.

"Good one. I've been meaning to start on that series, so maybe you'll let me borrow it sometime. I'll let you borrow mine in exchange." Itsuki smiled at him.

"I'm back! Let's pay and get home. Nino will be mad if we're late."

"Good idea. It looks like it might rain too."

Yotsuba paid for the five textbooks, Fuutarou's and Itsuki's mangas, as well as her own. Fuutarou didn't get to read the whole title, only reading _for Dummies_ as Yotsuba covered the book with her hand and held it upside-down.

The three headed to the train station to get back. As soon as they got on the train, Fuutarou took out the manga to look at it again.

"Wow, good choice. I've heard about that series." Yotsuba noticed him taking out the book. "What about you Itsuki?"

"I..." Itsuki tried to dodge the question. Yotsuba took the book in response.

"I knew it." Yotsuba returned the book. "Figures."

Itsuki pouted.

They then saw an advertisement. It was about Fuutarou's book getting a second season.

"Oh yeah! Uesugi-san, you should also watch some anime. I'm pretty sure they just advertised a second season for your manga."

"Anime?" Fuutarou didn't know what anime was, since his house never had a television.

"Yeah! It's used to promote mangas and light novels. It's so unfair, you know your manga got a second season earlier than my favorite show? Even though my show released in the season before. I wanted my show to get a season 2 earlier too!" Yotsuba complained.

"What's the show about?" Fuutarou was curious on what Yotsuba liked.

"I won't tell. It might spoil you. Read the story for yourself, it has a great chessmaster!"

"Is that so? Some time then."

"Buuuut, I highly recommend this other series! It's a harem, with a mystery element to it. It kind of dragged out a bit, but I won't complain. Ribbon girl won, even though I liked the orange-haired girl." Yotsuba looked it up on her phone and showed Fuutarou.

"And you were just talking about spoilers..." Itsuki sighed as she held her head.

"Oh Itsuki, look, your manga's getting a new season!" Yotsuba read the related news displayed on the side of the article.

"I already knew about that." Itsuki took pride in being updated about her favorite manga.

"What's yours about, Itsuki?" Fuutarou wanted to know about Itsuki's manga next, and poked her.

"It's about a young redhaired chef that keeps breaking through any barriers to create more and more delicious food." Itsuki's normally calm demeanor was completely broken by now. "Now that I think about it, your voice sounds just like his, Uesugi-kun."

"Really? I wonder why that is." Fuutarou looked up.

They happily chatted about this and that until they got back home. They got caught in the rain on the way, but they had fun running the rest of the way. Nino wasn't so pleased, however, to see them soaked when they got back.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Uesugi residence, Raiha was preparing dinner for Isanari and herself.

"Raiha, you seem happier these days." Isanari drank some coffee to help him with work.

"That's because Onii-chan will come back soon. I'm sure he won't want to see me sad by then." Raiha smiled, hopeful of Fuutarou's recovery.

Isanari's phone flashed. {I still need to look after Fuutarou-kun for the rest of the year. I hope you're fine with that.}

[You'll be back soon, right, Onii-chan?] Raiha served Isanari some egg noodles.

**A/N. Were there too many references? I originally had other scenes planned out for this chapter, but as I was writing I wanted the train scene to be longer, and I said, yeah, let's get them to talk about anime, why not? Yotsuba likes anime right? As you can see, that section ended up being longer than I expected, and now the chapter's too long compared to the rest, so I'm planning to write the other scenes in the future.**

**On a side note, what do you guys think the favorite genres of each quint is?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N. Hey, I'm back. The contents of this chapter were supposed to be written last chapter, but as I said the train scene was too long. So here's a quick update to redeem myself.**

* * *

Itsuki, Yotsuba, and Fuutarou entered the apartment absolutely drenched. Rain started pouring one block before they reached the apartment, so they had no choice but to run the rest of the way back. Thankfully the books they bought were sealed tight, and the school materials Fuutarou brought with him were protected inside his bag. They opened the door to see a frustrated Nino.

"Care to explain why you guys are soaking wet?" Nino folded her arms in frustration as Miku went to get towels.

"Ehehe. The rain caught us on the way back. We only had a little bit to go before we were safe, you know?" Yotsuba dropped the books on the floor.

"We'll explain later, for now we'll use the bath." Itsuki received a towel from Miku and started drying herself off.

"Wait, is Fuu-kun coming with you?" Nino let go of her anger for a moment to think about what might happen. Itsuki blushed at her statement.

"Eh? No way, you girls use it first. I can't possibly go in with you girls." Fuutarou removed his face from the towel. The wet look surprisingly suited him.

"But you'll catch a cold if you don't take a bath now. Don't be shy Uesugi-san, I won't mind." Yotsuba protested.

"But I do. Just take a bath first, I can wait here." Fuutarou was done drying himself, and went into his room for a change of clothes.

"He's right. No telling what can happen if you're naked in a room with him. Especially if you see _that_." Nino went to the kitchen to prepare some hot chocolate.

"Let's just go in Yotsuba. The faster we are the earlier Uesugi-kun can have his turn." Itsuki led Yotsuba to the bathroom.

"Fine." Yotsuba obliged and entered the bathroom with Itsuki. "And for the record I didn't want to see _that_ again!" She screamed to let Nino hear.

"Achoo!" Fuutarou sneezed while changing in his room. He got out as soon as he was finished, and waited on the couch, wondering where the books went. Nino went beside him, offering a mug of hot chocolate to help him warm up. He tasted the drink, which reminded him of coffee. Expecting a bitter taste, he was instead greeted with a sweet flavor. "That's weird. I thought it would be bitter. Now it tastes different."

"The bitter one you drank before was coffee. The sweet drink you're having now is hot chocolate. Do you not like it?" Nino drank some of hers, wondering if she made a mistake. She remembered Yotsuba mistaking salt for sugar in the mix, and wondered if she did the same.

"Nonsense. Anything you make is delicious. Thank you, Nino." Fuutarou blew on the mug and took small sips, since the drink was still too hot to gulp down.

"Is that so? I'm glad then." Nino felt a warm feeling bubbling up inside her. Her cheeks went slightly red as a result.

"What's the matter? Is the drink too hot?" Fuutarou was concerned, staring straight into Nino's eyes.

"I'm sorry, it's not that. I just like drinking hot chocolate. I'm also quite glad you like it." Nino turned her head, unable to look at Fuutarou. She turned back and noticed that his hair hadn't fully dried yet, and that he was shivering. She put down her mug and hugged him. "If you're still cold, you can have some of my warmth..."

"Ummm..." Ichika finished sorting through the books, and gave Fuutarou the five textbooks. She knew that Itsuki and Yotsuba bought books for themselves, so she took the liberty of placing their books in their respective rooms. She took Fuutarou's manga for herself, however, thinking it was Yotsuba's. "If you don't mind, here are your books Fuutarou-kun." She sat on the couch across them, freeing the manga from its plastic cover.

"How did you?" Fuutarou was awestruck at Ichika's insight.

"It was obvious. None of us would buy that many textbooks at once. Besides, you mentioned it earlier at lunch." Ichika quickly answered as she flipped to page one.

"Not that. How did you know that I also got that manga?" Fuutarou pointed to the book in Ichika's hands.

"Really? This is yours? I thought it was Yotsuba's?" Ichika looked at the cover again.

"Yotsuba actually bought it for me. I think she wants me to read what she reads." Fuutarou checked the textbooks to see if they were all there.

"Those are just drawings with text on them you know? And Ichika, why are you suddenly reading those?" Nino cut into the conversation. She stopped higging Fuutarou when Ichika gave the books.

"Come on, these things are great. They're just filled with opportunity, you know?" Ichika started reading again.

"Don't you like manga Nino?" Fuutarou was curious. Nino seemed strange since her sisters seemed to like manga.

"I like magazines." Nino dodged the question.

"We're done!" Yotsuba exited the bathroom, with only a towel draping off her shoulders to cover her breasts. Nino knew of this hapbit of Yotsuba, and rushed to cover Fuutarou's eyes.

"Wha? Why?" Fuutarou was surprised at Nino's sudden attack.

"Don't look Fuu-kun! And you, Yotsuba! Head up to your room now!" Nino initially had difficulty from all his shaking, but he calmed down soon enough after understanding what might be happening.

"Oh, sorry Uesugi-san!" Yotsuba walked up to her room.

"Excuse us. You may use the bath now Uesugi-kun." Itsuki covered herself as she also went up to her room.

"Haaah... You would think they'd not exit the bathroom naked, you know?" Nino asked Ichika, who was laughing at their reactions.

"Can't blame them. Their clothes were wet, and we didn't give them anything to change into." Ichika winked at Fuutarou.

"Crap. I forgot." Nino realized her error.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll take a bath now." Fuutarou stood up from the couch, leaving the sisters behind.

"Don't stay too long, Fuu-kun. We'll have dinner soon." Nino reminded him.

* * *

Fuutarou got to enjoy a nice bath, and a very nice dinner. They had hot pot that night, perfect to warm themselves up while it was raining outside. After dinner the housemates started studying the material, with Fuutarou tutoring each sister based on their strengths first. That meant he taught five different subjects to five different girls all at once.

"Good thing we had these problem sets huh?" Fuutarou finished a problem set every time he set out to tutor a different quint.

"You're a beast, Fuutarou. How can you just finish all these when we can barely finish one?" Miku asked him.

"It's to help you girls. If I don't finish these what can I teach you?" Fuutarou reminded her as he compiled the papers.

"You don't have to push yourself too hard you know? We can study by ourselves." Itsuki stood up, satisfied with her work. She went to get a late-night snack.

"I think we're done for the day. Why don't we all get some rest now?" Ichika suggested.

"Yeah, it is getting late. We don't want to be late tomorrow." Yotsuba started cleaning up.

"That's true. We sure did a lot today." Fuutarou was satisfied for the day.

* * *

Everyone retreated to their rooms. Fuutarou was about to enter his room when Ichika pulled him out.

"Fuutarou-kun, let's talk for a bit." Ichika pulled on his arm as they went down the stairs.

"Oh, umm, sure, Ichika." As soon as they reached the bottommost step, Ichika put her forehead to his.

"I knew it... You didn't have to fake it you know." Ichika looked disappointed.

"So you noticed huh? I didn't want to worry everyone. Besides, we had a good study session, so it was worth it." Fuutarou smiled.

"It's not worth it. You know you just recovered. You can barely walk yesterday and now look at you pushing yourself all over again. You ran back here while getting soaked in the rain, no wonder you have a fever now." Ichika silenced him.

"It's alright. This much is fine, compared to what you sisters have done for me so far." Fuutarou tried to reason to her. "Besides..." Ichika's finger touched his lips to silence him.

They went to the kitchen. Ichika took a few tablets from the medicine cabinet and prepared some water for him. Fuutarou accepted the medicine and finished the water. He had planned to go up to his room afterwards before Ichika pulled him down and whispered into his ear.

"You know, compared to Nino or Yotsuba or Itsuki, I haven't done all that much for you right? Come here then." Ichika dragged him to the bathroom. "Let Onee-san brush your teeth before you go to sleep." Ichika winked at him as she prepared his toothbrush with toothpaste.

"Hah? Aghh." Before Fuutarou knew it, he felt his mouth being violated by Ichika. A long rod kept brushing up against the inside of his mouth, going up and down, left and right, back and forth while leaving no spot untouched. By the end of it all his mouth had been filled with white fluid, and he wanted to rinse off the mature aftertaste.

"How do you like it? It's my toothpaste, pretty mature right?" Ichika smirked at him, washing the instruments of torture on the sink. "With that I can say that I also took care of you."

Fuutarou felt dizzy after Ichika's assault. The medicine he had taken must have taken effect, and he felt drowsy afterwards. Ichika assisted him up to his room and helped him get on his bed. As she tucked him in, he muttered something. "My old self must have been pretty lucky to have such pretty girls wanting to take care of him." Ichika just smiled as she locked the door behind her.

* * *

The next morning, Fuutarou felt a little better. He still had a fever, but he could at least walk down to the table. He was surprised when he only saw Miku sitting there.

"Good morning Miku. Where are the others?" Fuutarou was concerned. Everyone always had breakfast together after all.

"They're sick. They were fine last night, but now they can't move at all. I wonder what happened?" Miku looked at the rooms.

Fuutarou wondered what caused Nino and Ichika to get sick. Yotsuba and Itsuki were understandable since they got caught in the rain. All he could remember was... Nino hugging him and... Ichika violating him.

The two of them would have discussed the situation had their stomachs not grumbled.

"Do you want breakfast?" Miku quickly offered to hide her embarrassment.

"You're gonna cook, Miku?" Fuutarou hadn't known of Miku's culinary prowess.

"Nah. We'll get delivery. No one will get to eat otherwise. Also since we're all gonna stay home, I might as well take care of you guys."

"But what about school?" Fuutarou still wanted to go to school despite being sick.

"We'll call in sick. Don't think I didn't notice. You're also quite sick yourself, aren't you? I can't leave you guys here alone." Miku argued as she pulled out her phone.

"My bad..." Fuutarou bowed his head.

"Don't worry, it's alright." Miku reassured him. The doorbell interrupted. Miku opened it to find the food she asked for delivery.

"That was fast." Fuutarou remarked as he helped put the food on the table.

"I already expected this, so I made the preparations beforehand. Here, help me bring their food." Miku started separating the bowls into separate trays.

Fuutarou helped bring the trays to up to her sisters' rooms. Miku forbade him from going into Ichika's room since she was naked, and asked him to leave out Itsuki's room since he might step on the food she had stashed on the floor. As such, he delivered food into Nino's and Yotsuba's rooms. He found them both to still be sleeping, with fevers higher than his. He stepped outside to grab towels to put on their foreheads, and found Miku doing the same.

"Thanks. I didn't expect you to help out so much." Miku handed him a towel.

"Don't worry about it. It's the least I could do." Fuutarou filled a small basin with water.

Fuutarou placed damp towels on Nino's and Yotsuba's foreheads, while Miku did the same for Itsuki and Ichika. Miku also covered Ichika with a blanket since at this point the only cloth she had on her body was the towel. Afterwards Fuutarou and Miku went to enjoy their breakfast together. Miku had ordered congee with meatballs as it was a meal easy for the stomach.

"By the way Miku, why did you have to order delivery?" Fuutarou bit down on a meatball as he enjoyed the thick soup.

"I'm not great at cooking." Miku said with a dead expression.

"Really? But Nino's great at cooking, I'm sure with practice you can be too."

"Nah. That's her specialty. Each of us is good at different things, so I don't bother."

Fuutarou lifted his bowl so he can sit closer to her. He stared at her and said "That's not true. Just because your sisters are the ones good at something doesn't mean you can't match them. You say you have your specialties, but that shouldn't prevent you from trying other things you may also be good at. Just like how you girls are each good at a particular subject doesn't mean you're destined to fail the others."

"What are you saying?" Miku was surprised at his sudden closeness.

"I'm saying you shouldn't limit yourself. I'm sure you can improve. You've tried to cook before, right? That means there was a point where you wanted to succeed, why else would you try? So please don't just give up on that." Fuutarou smiled at her.

"..." Miku couldn't say a word. She finished her bowl of congee before replying to him. "Alright then. I'll try to improve, Fuutarou."

* * *

By the time they finished breakfast, it was time to change the towels on the girls' foreheads. Fuutarou finished with Yotsuba and moved on to Nino's room when he saw Nino had finished eating and was on her desk.

"How are you feeling?" Fuutarou stood in the doorway.

"I want something to drink Fuu-kun. And something sweet."

"Alright, wait for me. I'll get some medicine while I'm at it." Fuutarou closed the door and went downstairs. He prepared a mug and added some cocoa powder and sugar to it. He then filled the mug with boiling hot water about two-thirds of the way before stirring the mixture. Once fully mixed, he filled the rest of the mug with ice cold water. This not only helped balance the temperature so one can drink more easily, the flavor was also more developed since the solution was basically saturated with the cocoa mix. He delivered the hot chocolate to Nino, along with her medicine.

Nino was impressed by Fuutarou's drink. "Wow, how did you get this much flavor? And it goes down my throat so easily!" She kept drinking until she finished the whole mug.

"I just added some sugar to the cocoa powder. Oh, and I first mixed it with hot water before finishing with cold water." Fuutarou started a lecture.

"Ah, so that it isn't too hot when I drink it." Nino was proud that she figured it out.

"That, and because it allows the flavor to come out. You lose some of the flavor if you use too powerful a solvent, in this case hot water. So I remedied that by also adding cold water. That allows the flavor to come out more. Basically, you need to achieve the right mix of hot-and-cold to get what you want." Fuutarou looked at her mug. "Ah, but you finished it. You didn't even drink the medicine with it..."

"Seconds please!" Nino showed him an innocent childlike smile, similar to the ones Yotsuba makes. Fuutarou couldn't help but feel obliged to do so. As he prepared Nino's second mug, Miku took a sip of his drink.

"That's good. The others might like it. Make some more for them, and for me too." Miku praised his hot chocolate.

"Really?" Fuutarou planned on giving tea to Yotsuba, but he had no idea how to make tea, so he just made hot chocolate for all the sisters.

* * *

Meanwhile, Isanari was alone in the Uesugi household.

[What do I say to Raiha? She wants Fuutarou back as soon as possible, but I don't think that's happening anytime soon.] He pondered as he looked at the _Uesugi Bakery_ sign. [What do I do now? Fuutarou, please come back soon. I don't want to lose you too.]

* * *

**A/N. Dammit the chapter's gotten too long again!**

**On a side note, I noticed whenever I did the hot cocoa method to my drinks it actually works. I always feel that if I only use hot water, it "dissolves too much". Dunno if it's placebo or not, but I feel that supersaturated solutions are more flavorful. Basically think of a thin gravy vs thick gravy thing, which type has a more intense flavor?**

**By the way, _tsundere_ can also be interpreted as hot-and-cold, so yeah, good luck, Nino.**


End file.
